


Watching the Intros -- Part II (Naruto: Shippuden)

by ordinaryusername



Series: Watching The Show (Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden) [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon Compliant, Characters Watching, Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, I hope, I swear, Not Abandoned, Team Bonding, Watching the Intros, always a chance of OOC-ness, author: monthly updates!, life: im about to end this bitch’s whole career, possible spoiler alert?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23316580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ordinaryusername/pseuds/ordinaryusername
Summary: Continuation of "Watching the Intros -- Part I (Naruto)"Set after the Chuunin Exams, the Rookie Nine and their senseis watch the openings of Naruto: Shippuden.
Relationships: Dai-hachi-han | Team 8 & Yuuhi Kurenai, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Hatake Kakashi, Gai-han | Team Guy & Maito Gai | Might Guy, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi & Maito Gai | Might Guy, Konoha 12 & Konoha 12
Series: Watching The Show (Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594852
Comments: 60
Kudos: 289





	1. Naruto Shippuden Opening 1: Hero's Come Back

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! I hope y'all are doing well in the current climate! There's at least one pro to quarantine: I can officially ignore school and only write. I shoved Spanish and Psychology to the side, shut myself in my room, and got to writing! I really hope this satisfies all of you! Oh yeah, I don't own Naruto...

“Alright, will everyone shut UP?!” Tenten yells.

Startled by her sudden outburst everyone, even the senseis, cease any and all conversation and movement.

“Thank you,” she says sweetly, and walks over to press the play button on the strange metal box that controlled the screen.

**A beautiful sunrise sets the scene, with an unknown shadowy figure walking towards the horizon.**

“Oooooh, who’s that?” Naruto shouts.

“”Ugh, shut up, dobe,” Sasuke grumbles. “You’re right in my ear.”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY, TEME?” Naruto yells, purposefully setting his mouth right in Sasuke’s face.

“ACK!”

Kakashi looks over at his kids to see Naruto on the ground, Sasuke smirking, and Sakura rubbing her knuckles.

“Any more interruptions, Naruto?” she asks calmly. “We’re not even 5 seconds in, so now is as good a time as any.”

“...no,” Naruto groans.

**Iruka, an older looking Sakura, and an older looking Gaara pop up in quick succession before the video is paused again.**

This time, it is Sakura and Ino who are interrupting.

“Oh wow…” Sakura gapes as she nearly presses her nose to the screen. “I look so pretty!”

“What are you even saying, Billboard Brow? We haven’t even seen your face yet! That’s only your profile!”

“Well, my profile is enough! You can clearly tell that puberty treated me well!” Sakura crosses her arms and faces Ino with a smug look.

“Maa, maa,” Kakashi interrupts as Ino opens her mouth to retort. “I think we should be more concerned by the fact that Sakura is clearly much older than she is now. Is this going to show us events that reach this far into the future?”

Asuma hums thoughtfully. “I think we can safely assume that. I mean, look at the Suna kid. He’s lost the childish roundness of his face and certainly looks like he’s mellowed out.”

Lee and Naruto both peer at the screen.

“You’re right, Asuma-sensei! He looks chill!”

“Perhaps we can have a proper battle now!” Lee ecstatically shouts. “I would love to compare my skills to his when he isn’t being controlled by his bloodlust!”

“Me too!” Naruto shouts.

Neji stares at the screen. _I wonder if Naruto possibly changed his character, as he did mine._

**An older Sasuke is next, with his sharingan activated.**

Everyone in the room slams their hands over their ears as the loudest, shrillest sound they’ve ever heard emanates from the two rival girls.

“SASSSSUKEEEEE!!!”

_Oh no…_ Sasuke internally groans.

Ino and Sakura rush over to the screen, not blinking so that they do not miss any of this moment.

“HE’S SO PRETTYYYY!”

Sasuke splutters as Naruto and Kiba laugh.

“Haha, Sasuke! Guess you are kinda _pretty_ , huh? You’ve definitely grown into your _prettiness_! We didn’t know you were gonna be this _pretty_!”

Sasuke activates his sharingan as he gets out a kunai. “I swear, if I hear the word ‘pretty’ one more time, I’ll-”

He’s stopped by Kakashi who suddenly appears behind him and wraps an arm around his shoulders to keep him from advancing toward the two boys who are collapsed on each other, laughing.

“Let go of me, Kakashi!”

“Aww, look at my cute little student all grown up.”

Sasuke rips himself out of Kakashi’s grip and goes to sit down, glaring.

Sakura and Ino rush toward him, fawning over him.

Kurenai, who sees how close the poor boy is to following in his brother’s footsteps, steps in. “Alright, kids. Let’s continue with the video. We don’t want to be here longer than we have to, do we?”

**Now, an older Naruto is shown, with Jiraiya, Sakura, Tsunade, and Kakashi to the side. He is uncharacteristically looking stoically into the distance. He suddenly grins, and runs towards the horizon.**

A thud is heard as Hinata collapses to the ground, her face totally red.

“Oh no,” Kiba groans as he and Shino lean in to check on their teammate. “Again?”

“I look so damn cool!” Naruto screeches. “I look so old, and like a proper Hokage!”

Shikamaru smirks. “Naruto, you look like you’re _maybe_ 15\. That’s not nearly old enough to be Hokage.”

Kakashi sits in his seat, simmering with pride at seeing his students all grown-up and confident, even if one of them appears to have run from the village.

“Hmm, maybe you’re right, Shikamaru. After all, it looks like Pervy-sage is still alive, and he’s really old.”

**Kakashi reveals his sharingan, Sakura rears back for a powerful punch, and Naruto forms the signs for his Kage Bunshin jutsu as the kanji for Shippuden are added to the original** **_Naruto_ ** **logo.**

“Shippuden?” Shikamaru sounds out. “Must be a different version of the original. After a timeskip, maybe?”

**The remaining members of Team 7 run towards something in the distance, looking desperate. Next, an older Team Gai is shown, Lee (wearing a chuunin vest) performs a kick, Neji throws up his arm in his traditional taijutsu pose, and Tenten waves her weapons.**

“MY ADORABLE GENIN! YOU HAVE GROWN SO MUCH! YOU’RE EVEN CHUUNIN!”

“But Lee’s the only one wearing the vest,” Neji points out.

Tenten leans toward him and whispers, “Would you really wear that vest?”

Neji balks, cringing. “Of course not.”

“Exactly. On the other hand…”

The two of them look to their remaining teammate and sensei who are exuberantly conversing about how Lee matches with Gai now that he has his chuunin vest.

“Ahem,” Asuma coughs awkwardly as he resumes the video, glancing toward the starry-eyed duo.

**Temari and Kankuro briefly appear before Naruto counts down with the vocalist and gives the audience a thumbs down.**

_What’s with all the Suna shinobi?_ Sasuke wonders. _Have we allied ourselves with them or something? Oh wait, I’m not a Konohan shinobi anymore._ Sasuke grimaces.

**Dramatic flashes of various groups of shinobi appear. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Iruka; The rest of the Rookie 9; the Sand Siblings sans Gaara, along with an old woman; Orochimaru and Kabuto.**

The video is paused to give the rest of the genin a chance to admire themselves.

Choji admires the choice of his familial armor and hairstyle. _I look just like Pa! I wonder if I’ve completely mastered the family jutsu…_

Ino eagerly rubs her own transformation in Sakura’s face. “Look how beautiful _I_ look, Forehead! Especially in this department, hehe.” She gestures to her chest. Sakura’s face turns pink as she hurriedly glances toward Sasuke to make sure he hadn’t heard.

“Oh please,” She sneers, trying to recover from such a hit to her pride. “That’s not all there is to it.”

“Mhmm,” Ino hums, satisfied. “Sure.”

“You look pretty much the same, Shikamaru!” Kiba says. “You look like any other jounin.”

“Good,” Shikamaru says. “I don’t really feel like standing out. That would be too much of a pain.”

“And you, Shino!”

“...What?”

“You’re covering up even more of yourself than now.”

“Hm.”

Hinata shyly speaks up. “Look how big Akamaru has gotten, Kiba-kun.”

“You’re right, Hinata! And look at me, I look freaking _badass._ ”

“Hah!” Naruto laughs. “Badass? I think you mean emo! What are you doing dressing in all black?”

“I’m a ninja, dumbass! Ninjas are stealthy.”

“Akamaru doesn’t look so stealthy, though.”

“Hey!” Kiba shouts, flustered. “W-Well, look at Hinata! She grew her hair out!”

“You’re right!” Naruto turns to Hinata. “It looks really good, Hinata!”

“T-Thank you, Naruto-kun,” she replies, her face burning.

**Next are Naruto and Sasuke facing away from each other. The camera provides a close-up of Sasuke’s profile as he slowly looks up.**

_That’s right,_ Naruto realizes. _Sasuke left the village. I have to bring that dumbass back, even if it kills me._ He glances grimly at Sasuke who quickly looks away.

**Gaara appears for several seconds, serenely staring at the camera before he reaches a hand out to the audience as he dissolves into sand. First Kankuro, then Temari, then Sakura and Naruto desperately try to reach for something off-screen, as- in the background- sand sifts through a hand which suddenly clenches.**

“What’s with the sudden focus on Gaara and his siblings?” Choji asks.

“Well, it could be that we’ve established a new alliance,” Shikamaru drawls. “Or that they’ve become ‘major characters’; we’re going to be seeing a lot more of them from now on. Or, there’s an extremely important mission involving Suna.”

**The camera closes in on the Akatsuki from a distance; Itachi slowly removes his hat as a blond teen creepily grins and waves a hand- which has a mouth on it- across the screen. A Kyuubi Naruto takes over the screen for a brief moment.**

“Ugh, these guys again?” Naruto groans.

“They must still be after you,” Sasuke grumbles.

Naruto gapes. “They still haven’t given up?”

Sakura shudders in disgust. “Ok, was I the only one who saw the guy with a _mouth_ in his _hand_?”

“Believe me, you weren’t,” Tenten grimaces. “I wonder if it’s for a jutsu or if it’s just for style.”

Kakashi studies the screen. “I wonder if it’s a kekkei genkai. It would be easier to figure out if we could see what village he’s from.”

**Naruto, in a desert landscape, grins and rubs his hand across his nose before running to catch up to Kakashi and Sakura who are waiting for him in front of a wall of mountains. Thus the video ends.**

Sasuke tries not to let it show how much it bothers him that he’s not there with his team. _That’s enough of that. I must have had a good reason!_

“That looks like the entrance to Sunagakure,” Asuma says.

“Then it’s confirmed: Team 7 was sent on a mission to Suna,” Shikamaru sighs. “Thank goodness I didn’t have to go; that looks like a drag.”

“Shut up, you lazy ass Nara,” Ino groans. “Now Sakura is going to get all of the glory.”

Sakura chuckles smugly. “In that case, let’s continue!”


	2. Naruto Shippuden Opening 2: Distance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing quite like a couple of tornados to get you writing lol. *cough* is this chapter low-key crack? most likely; I think quarantine was the final nail in the coffin and now I'm actually insane *cough* Haha, what was that? Nothing, y'all just sit back and enjoy!
> 
> ...I still don't own Naruto :(

**This opening starts off violently, with only a glimpse of a Sharingan opening to stare out of the screen before an explosion occurs from a blue light. Not only is the scene quite aggressive, but the music is at a fast tempo and energetic.**

"Woah, woah, woah," Naruto shakes his head at the screen. "I don't like how this is going already. Can we go back to the one we just watched, please?"

"What is it, dobe?" Sasuke smirks. "Are you too scared to continue?"

"No, you asshole! I'd just prefer to watch some more happy stuff considering the last couple things we've seen."

Sakura looks down at her lap. _That's true. I'd almost forgotten._

**The scene suddenly switches to show the present Naruto and Sasuke walking toward each other in what looks like a grassy meadow, Naruto slightly smiling and Sasuke showing the barest hint of a grin.**

"Woah, it looks kind of like Sasuke changes facial expressions when he passes through the shadows," Tenten says. "Like he's smiling in the light and straight-faced in the dark."

"Uh, should we consider that foreshadowing or something?" Ino asks.

**It continues to reveal Sasuke's shadow in the dust billowing from the explosion's crater. Then, just as it looks like Naruto and Sasuke are about to meet, the title flashes on a white background. Next, Naruto, Sakura, and two other men are seen standing in a windy field; Sakura taking center stage.**

"Who are they??" Naruto bursts out.

Shikamaru ponders for a brief moment. "Well, there's the two of you, a guy who looks around our age, and a jonin. You guys must be acting as a team."

"WHAT?" Naruto jumps out of his chair. "B-but what about Kakashi-sensei? He was just with us in the last video! What about him?"

"Why are you asking me?" Shikamaru groans exasperatedly. "I don't know the future."

Asuma strokes his chin. "Well, the only cases in which a jonin is replaced in a unit is if they file a request to be removed or become unable to act as a jonin leader."

Kakashi nods in confirmation. "So either I finally had enough of you guys or I'm dead."

The entirety of Team 7 pale. "D-dead?" Sakura whimpers. Naruto and Sasuke both stare holes into the ground.

"Uh, ok maybe I'm not dead!" Kakashi nervously chuckles as he attempts to rectify his failed attempt at humor. "You know what, it might just be chakra exhaustion. Remember? Like that time back in Wave Country."

His students still aren't having any of it. Kakashi feels immensely regretful. He'd honestly thought his "joke" would just blow over- he hadn't thought the kids would take it that seriously. Looking around the room to avoid having to look at his now depressed kids, he sees that the other genin are now considering the possibility that their own senseis will be revealed to be dead in one of these videos.

Kurenai and Asuma both send weak glares his way, Gai already occupied with comforting a wailing Lee. Kakashi chuckles and awkwardly rubs the back of his head. _Leave it to my awful sense of humor to ruin things._ He hurriedly resumes the video in an effort to distract from the current atmosphere.

**Sakura, in three separate poses, smiles cheerfully at the camera. She is next seen staring into the distance under her namesake, a cherry blossom tree.**

Genin Sakura picks up on her sensei's horrid attempt to change the subject and takes pity on him. "Well," she sniffs. "At least I'm still ridiculously attractive."

As expected, Ino takes the bait. "Pfft like you're _that_ attractive, Forehead."

"Hey, I'm just saying I can manage to look beautiful in proper shinobi clothes while other certain people have to wear crop-tops and short skirts to pass off as at least average."

Tenten just barely manages to stifle a laugh as Hinata gapes, shocked at the level of burn that was delivered. Choji pauses just as he brings a chip to his mouth, fearful of Ino's response. The last time someone (Shikamaru) dared to smartmouth her, 3 chuunin had to interfere.

It seems to take a moment for the insult to completely register, but when it does, a fire is lit in Ino's eyes. She swiftly stands up and opens her mouth and everybody sits rapt in their seats, ready for a fight- until Shino sneakily plays the video, cutting off whatever her retort was going to be.

**This time, it's the strange teen's turn to shine. He's tall, extremely pale, and wears a strange uniform.**

Lee, having recovered from his intense crying session with Gai, tilts his head. "He looks kind of like Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke merely stares at the teen on the screen, not really caring one way or the other. He just wants to find out what exactly he's doing away from his team and if it's anything worthwhile.

"What?" Naruto is completely shocked. "That dude looks completely different than Sasuke, dattebayo!"

Everybody else ponders for a moment. Once they reach a consensus, Kiba speaks up. "Yeah, no, he looks like Sasuke."

Naruto gapes, unable to believe it. He desperately turns to Sakura. "N-ne, Sakura-chan. Do _you_ think that weirdo looks like teme?"

"Hm... I can definitely see the resemblance. The nose, the facial structure, even the hair a little bit..."

Naruto promptly falls out of his chair, completely shocked. That's it. He crawls over to his last hope.

Kakashi, to his credit, looks only slightly weirded out at the sight of Naruto inching across the floor like a worm. Naruto uses his sensei's legs as support as he sits up, and then promptly falls forward so that his head is resting on Kakashi's knees.

"Ka...K-... Kaka-sensei," Naruto gasps out.

"Yes, Naruto?" Kakashi eye-smiles.

"Please tell me you don't think they look similar." Naruto pleads, sending his best puppy-dog eyes Kakashi's way.

The older man grins. "Of course not! How could anyone compare to my adorable student?"

Sasuke gives him a full-body cringe then turns around in his seat and glares at Kakashi. "If you call me adorable one more time-"

"Maa, Sasuke 'twas merely a jest. He actually does kind of look like you." He leans down to whisper in Naruto's ear. "He doesn't look like our dear Sasuke-kun."

"Phew," Naruto gives a sigh of relief, grins, and nudges Kakashi's ribs harshly with his elbow. "I knew you had some sense in ya, Kaka-sensei!"

Grimacing and holding a hand to his ribs ( _Damn, this kid is rough),_ Kakashi shoos Naruto back to his seat. "Yes, yes I know. Now, how about we continue?"

**Next is the new jonin that nobody has seen before. He is standing at the forefront of a gathering of capable shinobi, including Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi, And Iruka. He is finally shown close up against a green background.**

Asuma peers at the screen, squinting. "I've never seen this guy before, but he looks about our age." He sounds puzzled, glancing at the three other jonin in the room. "Have you guys seen him before?"

Gai and Kurenai shake their heads, although Gai stops and thinks for a bit. "Actually, he seems somewhat familiar. I almost feel like I've seen him before back when you were in-"

He's cut off by Kakashi shaking his head, a sweatdrop making its way down the side of his head. "No, no, I highly doubt you've met him before." He turns to the others. "He's in Anbu, serving directly under the Third."

Kurenai and Asuma both nodded, satisfied by the explanation but Gai still was trying to remember if he had seen him. "No, rival," he mused, screwing up his face in thought. "I am pretty sure I saw him back when you led Team Ro-"

He was interrupted by Naruto launching himself in Kakashi's face. "KAKASHI-SENSEI, YOU OLD PERVERT!"

Dazed, Kakashi only manages "Huh?"

Naruto grabs him by the collar and points at the screen. "You can't put that weird book down even in the opening to the show! You need help."

Choji shakes his head. "But Naruto, that's practically his trademark. What will be left to define Kakashi-sensei if he loses his porn?"

Kakashi slowly turns his head to look at the Akimichi, pouting. "Is that how you all know me? By the tiny little book I sometimes pull out when I'm bored?"

The genin all nod, sending Kakashi into a further state of melancholy. Hinata timidly speaks up. "Ano, Kakashi-sensei, you read that book all the time."

That was the nail in the man's coffin. He drags himself back to his seat and just resumes the video.

**The man and Kakashi are both seen in Anbu gear, holding their respective masks.**

Team 7 makes a move to speak up, but they are hushed by the current state of their teacher.

**The next scene involves Sasuke sitting moodily on a boulder and Itachi with what looks like the rest of the Akatsuki in a rainy cityscape. The angle changes so that it's as if Sasuke and Itachi are staring each other down.**

"Wait a second," Kurenai interrupts. "That- that looks like Amegakure." Asuma nods in agreement.

Shikamaru frowns. "Could we trust this and use it as a hint to the Akatsuki's location?"

"Well, Ame is certainly known for its secrecy. Perhaps that is all because a group of rogue shinobi has seized control of it." Asuma contributes.

Sasuke, meanwhile, is only concerned with the specific way the video portrayed him and his brother. _If these videos do hold truth, and the foreshadowing is accurate, could this mean that I'll finally face that man soon?_

Sakura skittishly glances over at him, concerned by the sudden dark aura that was surrounding her teammate. Upon glancing at his neck, she realizes that the curse mark is flaring up. Alarmed, she cuts off the other's conversation and resumes the video.

**Sasuke, Kabuto, and Orochimaru stand like all the other teams had before- Sasuke standing confidently in the middle. Next, he and Sakura are both standing behind each other with Sakura wearing a very sad expression. However, it quickly switches to a clear shot of Naruto's eye, Sasuke reflected in it.**

Shikamaru sighs and sits up from his previously slouched position. "Alright, I'm gonna take a wild guess given what we've just seen and say that you two-" he points at Naruto and Sakura "- are either on your way to find Uchiha or have already found him. But, because of his tutelage under Orochimaru, he has... changed, and she doesn't like it." He finishes by nodding at Sakura.

She frowns. _Could his time with Orochimaru really have changed him so much that I am uncertain around him?_

Naruto sits back wearing a determined expression. "It doesn't matter how much teme has changed!" he declares. "I'm gonna get him and drag him back, even if I have to make a new team to do it."

Kiba snorts derisively. "Of course, Naruto. You can beat him up and bring him back."

The insult flies completely over Naruto's head as he nods in agreement. "I can and I will."

**A gloved hand closes what looks like a picture book that has a drawing of a gray-haired child on the front. Danzo Shimura and Tsunade both appear on opposite sides of the screen, the strange teen in between them.**

Kakashi experiences an epiphany. _I knew it! That uniform did look familiar; I remember Tenzo wearing something like that when he was involved with Root. Does this mean that this kid was planted by Danzo? Given the positioning of him and Tsunade, it seems like they could be butting heads? But why?_

**Next is a series of shots of both Naruto and the Kyuubi, Naruto seeming to struggle not to transform. A cage with a seal on it makes an appearance, and an angered Kyuubi and a red explosion follow in quick succession. The now-identified Yamato quickly leaps away from the wave of destruction.**

Naruto pales. He knew that there was a lot of animosity between him and the Kyuubi, but he never imagined that it would go so far as to trigger a transformation- one which, by the looks of it, would leave the fox in control. If such a transformation caused injury or death to his team or the people of the village, he would never forgive himself. And, now that he's thinking about it, how would he be able to leave the village and go search for Sasuke when he's basically a ticking time bomb?

**The action ramps up along with the beat of the music as Sakura skillfully dodges seemingly invisible attacks and rears back to deliver a powerful punch, the Sasuke look-alike quickly draws beasts on a scroll and performs a Jutsu which allows them to spring to life and leap into battle, and Yamato uses a wood jutsu to attack Kabuto.**

"Woah, woah, woah," Ino interrupts, dazzled by all of the action. "What the heck is going on?"

"Well," Sakura begins. "We're obviously on a mission. It must not be too far from the village because of the terrain. This could pose as good or bad because reinforcements would be quick to reach us but, at the same time, it looks like we're fighting Orochimaru because Kabuto is there. Something is happening to Naruto-" The named boy cringes. "- I don't know exactly what, but it looks bad." She sighs. "Just another mission, then."

Everyone is silent for a moment, absorbing the information before Neji speaks up. "Wait. Presuming you guys are fighting Orochimaru, wouldn't it be safe to assume that you are also close to Sasuke as well? Could this either be or turn into another Sasuke-retrieval mission?"

Naruto perks up. "That's right! Ne, Sasuke! We could already be getting you back!"

"Yes, that's what the Hyuuga just said, dobe," Sasuke feigns indifference. 

Meanwhile, the adults are busy trying to figure out how Yamato has hold of a Forbidden Jutsu.

"Isn't that the Wood Release Jutsu?" Kurenai asks, shocked. "Is that not a Senju clan kekkei genkai? But, it's disappeared, right? Not even Lady Tsunade can do it."

Gai nods in agreement. "Yes, so why does Yamato have it?"

Kakashi sighs, not really wanting to spill any more top-secret information. "Ok, this is classified so I'm not going to spill much but I will tell you that Tenzo was subject to Orochimaru's experiment when he was young. That is how he can perform Wood Release."

"Wait a second," Asuma says suspiciously. "How did you come across this 'classified information'?"

Kakashi chuckles nervously. "Well, uh... your father told me?"

"My father wouldn't just come out and tell you that for no reason, Kakashi. What did you do?"

"... I broke into his private library."

"WHAT?" Gai shouts. "But Rival, why would you do that? You respect the Third too much to desecrate his privacy like that!"

"Yes, I do, but there was a time when I didn't and I got involved with the wrong side of Konoha. But that's a story for another day ( _or never_ ) let's just get this video over with!" Kakashi hurriedly finishes, seeing that the kids' attention is now on their private conversation."

**A... very naked Sasuke is entangled with snakes while Orochimaru looks down on him from behind.**

Ignoring Ino's red face and flustered comments toward Sasuke, Sakura considers the symbolism. A couple of videos ago, Sasuke was shown to still be torn between the team and his revenge. Could this new development mean that he has completely given in to Orochimaru and forsaken the village? And all of his friends? _Please, let me be wrong,_ Sakura begs.

**Orochimaru suffers a hit from a transformed Naruto and is sent flying. The damage is apparently so great that he is forced to rebirth himself from a snake.**

"So it's confirmed that Team 7 is fighting Orochimaru." Tenten sighs. "Of course. Orochimaru is practically unbeatable. He was the one behind the attack on the village, after all."

Shikamaru furrows his brow. "I think that Team 7 should be less worried about Orochimaru and more worried about whatever is going on with Naruto." The genin all stare at him, shocked. Shikamaru sighs, not wanting to have to explain. "Orochimaru is one of the Three Sennin, correct? And he is the one who was capable of attacking Konohagakure. I think that would make him pretty powerful. So, if we consider his strength and then consider the fact that it seems like it took only one hit from Naruto in that state to make him create a new body, the Naruto we're watching right now is far scarier."

Asuma nods. "That's exactly it. We need to figure out what is going on with the kid and take care of it now before it becomes an even bigger problem in the future. In fact, if we can learn to control it, it would be a great asset to the village."

Naruto shrinks down into his seat, a bit scared of what that all entailed. Sasuke takes notice of this and sends a glare Asuma's way.

Kakashi eye-smiles at the man. "What exactly do you mean by that? I hope that doesn't involve experimentation, or else we might as well bring Orochimaru back and let him do it for us. Besides, something like that would require Naruto-kun's consent, and I don't think he will. Heck, I wouldn't consent to that if it were me, and he is just a kid."

Asuma looks sufficiently cowed. "Of course. I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," Kakashi agrees.

**A bloodied hand that looks like Naruto's is slowly raised to the sky, Sakura seeming to shout worriedly at it before it clenches in a fist. Next, the future Naruto and Sasuke walk toward each other as they had done earlier except this time the landscape is barren and neither of them is smiling.**

"Uh oh," Kiba whispers to Shino. "Could this be the showdown which could be the deciding factor of whether Sasuke returns to the village or not?"

"I certainly believe that it could be, for these reasons-" Shino responds, only to get interrupted by the playing of the video.

**The resulting crater from the explosion that started off the opening shows that it occurred in an underground hallway. Naruto, Sakura, the unnamed teen, and Yamato are standing in the rubble and staring in shock at something above them: Sasuke. The video ends with Sasuke drawing his sword and Naruto pulling out a kunai and holding their respective weapons to the other's throat.**

_No, it's not supposed to be that way,_ Naruto thinks. _Why are we threatening each other like that? Sure, injuries are a given if I'm gonna drag Sasuke back but death? No way!_

Sasuke peers at his older self, surprised at his possession of a katana. Perhaps he will learn useful things under Orochimaru's thumb. He then shakes his head imperceptibly ridding the thought from his brain. But is that worth it at the cost of his teammates' lives? Kakashi did teach him the Chidori after all. Surely he has so much more that Sasuke could learn.

Kakashi is overwhelmed with a feeling of incompetence. He couldn't stop his 12-year-old student from leaving the village and now Naruto and Sasuke are facing each other, threatening each other's lives? No, that would not do. What would Minato-sensei have done?

Gai, sensing his best friend's depressed state, simply starts the next video.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! A lovely reader asked whether I had a schedule for updates last month. It happened to take me a month to get over my procrastinating butt and write this chapter so I have decided that I will aim to update around the first of every month! Keyword: around. If I update a few days later than the first, I'm not dead or ignoring this, I'm just a bit late lol. I will do my utmost to keep this schedule!!
> 
> P.S. I hope that all of y'all are staying safe. Wear masks, use hand sanitizer, and practice social distancing! <3


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